Rockies Designate Brad Hawpe For Assignment

THURSDAY, 7:54pm: Hawpe has been designated for assignment by the Rockies, rather than released outright, tweets Renck. Colorado now has 10 days to trade him which makes Renck think there's "a chance" of a deal in the works, though Renck doesn't think the club would hurt Hawpe's chances of signing with another club by making him wait the full 10 days while they explore trades. The DFA move is "a formality" and come Tuesday, Hawpe is free to sign with anyone (all Twitter links).

Renck (also via Twitter) hears from a source that the Giants, Rangers, Rays, Red Sox, White Sox all have "potential interest" in Hawpe.

WEDNESDAY, 8:51pm: The Rockies will release Hawpe after tonight's game, making him a free agent, tweets Renck.

WEDNESDAY, 7:15pm: Hawpe appears likely to be either traded or released within the next 24 hours, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. If and when the Rockies make a roster move, the Rangers are one team that would have interest in acquiring Hawpe.

WEDNESDAY, 3:03pm: Brad Hawpe cleared waivers today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitterlinks). The Rockies can now trade the 31-year-old to any team. Hawpe has spent most of his career in right field, where his UZR numbers have been below-average, and he has appeared in six games at first base this season. His home run total (7) has dipped for a third consecutive year, but his batting line is about average: .252/.341/.430.

Hawpe projects to be a Type A free agent, but draft pick compensation isn't necessarily a factor, since the Rockies would have to offer arbitration to get any picks. Just under $2MM of Hawpe's $7.5MM salary remains this year and there's a $500K buyout for the team's $10.15MM option for next season.

The Rockies could take on salary in a potential deal and, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes pointed out, Hawpe could draw interest from a number of teams because he has hit well in recent years. The Red Sox, White Sox and Rays are potential fits, but that's speculation at this point.